MTG Salvation

Quote from TheTennesseeFireman »

Looks like they're getting the intro rares out of the way early.

This. I would hope this isn't indicative of the power level of the set in general.

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Quote from rujasu »

Quote from Geaux »

I wonder if another card also makes 4/4 bears because to me it would have made much more sense for the human to be 4/4 and the bear 2/2 but whatever.

How many humans do you know who are twice as strong and tough as a fully-grown bear?

Well considering in Magic bears are known simply for the fact that they are 2/2 and there are plenty of humans(albeit legendary or otherwise) that are 4/4 or greater, I didn't think it would be too much of a stretch to imagine that at one point those values were reversed.

if you can already cast a card for RUG do you really need more mana fixing/filtering?

Incredibly disappointed in Temur's mechanic. Finally had the option to give RUG a real unique identity and now its already inching its way towards boring naya.

Man its 5 minutes to spoilers and people are still talking about browbeat, why do we have mods again?

Well, it may not be very strong, but its an A+ in the flavor department at least.

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Really needed better lands. You get some money uncommons in path and inquisition as well as elsepth and sword and that's basically the $75, the rest is meh, but if path and inquisition prices don't drop it's not a terrible price. Speculators got destroyed on this though if they payed above MSRP, which is probably a good thing. Seems like a half decent stepping stone for new players getting into modern and playing it at an FNM level though, as opposed to a precon designed to reprinting things for the secondary market. If that was the goal of this product wizards did ok. Probably looking to help the secondary market with modern masters 2 instead.

The commentators were clearly joking. I don't understand why everyone is getting so butthurt over it. They were even chuckling as they said it.

Quote from skorchdnite »

UR, the heck Kozilek? You're supposed to be off munching on some other plane, take your herald with you gosh darnit.

Kozilek got his hand stamped so that he can reenter for free later on.

Please keep in mind how they explained this on the stream: these cards WILL NOT become Standard-legal as a result of the "Expeditions" printing. They were careful to explain that you can play one in Sealed/Draft if you open it, but for Constructed you can only play it if it was already legal for the format. So the printing of enemy fetches and shocklands as "Expeditions" cards WILL NOT add them to Standard.

Quote from gcsmith »

Zendikari expeditions are 25 full art premium mythic rares that can appear in bfz boosters, they consist of 10 shocks, 10 fetches and 5 new bfz duals. There will also be 20 in the winter set.

It's as if a million wallets suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

Elephant Graveyard is aging like a fine wine.

Quote from Highlander »

So I'm going through the spoilers, and I see Mardu Blazebringer, and I can't help but wonder, "why doesn't he have haste or trample? Or both?" Like okay sure 4/4 for three in red is nothing to be sneezed at normally, and I guess he triggers ferocious if you splash him into a Temur deck, but you only get him for one attack/block, and he's literally nothing but a big slow 4/4 beat stick other than that. I would think that ball lightning or an equivalent would have been an obvious card for the set given how Mardu is supposed to want to play, and instead we get this...thing. What happened?

Pure conjecture on my part: it had haste at one point during design or development and they got rid of it. Why? Because it's there are a Raid enabler and a ferocious enabler. With haste, many people, especially new players, are going to swing with it right away and lose it, before they have the chance to get the raid/ferocious benefit off of it (they've already used most or all of their mana playing it for the turn). By having it stick around a turn, those new players are going to have that "aha" moment when they realize that either A. they can attack with it and play a card in the second main phase with Raid not that their lands are untapped; or B) realize that they can hold it back and not attack with it at all to keep ferocious turned on. In other words, it doesn't have haste for psychological reasons, rather than power-level reasons.

I feel like we can just start every first set's spoiler with Cancel and 20 basic lands.
Arc Lightning is cool though.

I think you mean... "morphed" into the Abzan! Eh? Eh? ... I thought it was funny.

Hi there, here are some cards that have not yet been spoiled I think. I can't reveal my source, so you're gonna have to trust me.


Molting Snakeskin B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has "2B: Regenerate this creature."

Sagu Archer 4G
Creature - Naga Archer
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Morph 4G (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
2/5

Snowhorn Rider 3GUR
Creature - Human Warrior
Trample
Morph 2GUR (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
5/5

Sultai Soothsayer 2BGU
Creature - Naga Shaman
When Sultai Soothsayer enters the battlefield, look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
2/5

Warden of the Eye 2URW
Creature - Djinn Wizard
When Warden of the Eye enters the battlefield, return target noncreature, nonland card from your graveyard to your hand.
3/3

Rotting Mastodon 4B
Creature - Zombie Elephant
2/8

Roar of Challenge 2G
Sorcery
All creatures able to block target creature this turn do so.
Ferocious - That creature gains indestructible until end of turn if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.

Rite of the Serpent 4BB
Sorcery
Destroy target creature. If that creature had a +1/+1 counter on it, put a 1/1 green Snake creature token onto the battlefield.

Ride Down RW
Instant
Destroy target blocking creature. Creatures that were blocked by that creature this combat gain trample until end of turn.

Rakshasa's Secret 2B
Sorcery
Target opponent discards two cards. Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.

Ponyback Brigade (lol) 3RWB
Creature - Goblin Warrior
When Ponyback Brigade enters the battlefield or is turned face up, put three 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield.
Morph 2RWB (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
2/2

Mer-Ek Nightblade 3B
Creature - Orc Assassin
Outlast B (B, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Outlast only as a sorcery.)
Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter has deathtouch.
2/3

Pine Walker 3GG
Creature - Elemental
Morph 4G (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
Whenever Pine Walker or another creature you control is turned face up, untap that creature.
5/5

Naturalize

Krumar Bond-Kin 3BB
Creature - Orc Warrior
Morph 4B (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
5/3

Kin-tree Invocation BG
Sorcery
Put an X/X black and green Spirit Warrior creature token onto the battlefield, where X is the greatest toughness among creatures you control.

Kill Shot 2W
Instant
Destroy target attacking creature.

Kheru Dreadmaw 4B
Creature - Zombie Crocodile
Defender
1G, Sacrifice another creature: You gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness.
4/4

High Sentinels of Arashin 3W
Creature - Bird Soldier
Flying
High Sentinels of Arashin gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it.
3W: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
3/4

Heart-Piercer Bow 2
Artifact - Equipment
Whenever equipped creature attacks, Heart-Piercer Bow deals 1 damage to target creature defending player controls.
Equip 1

Kheru Bloodsucker 2B
Creature - Vampire
Whenever a creature you control with toughness 4 or greater dies, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
2B, Sacrifice another creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on Kheru Bloodsucker.
2/2

Trap Essence GUR
Instant
Counter target creature spell. Put two +1/+1 counters on up to one target creature.

Abzan Falconer 2W
Creature - Human Soldier
Outlast W
Each creature you control wth a +1/+1 counter on it has flying.
2/3

Alabaster Kirin 3W
Creature - Kirin
Flying, vigilance
2/3

Altar of the Brood 1
Artifact
Whenever another permanent enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

Brave the Sands 1W
Enchantment
Creatures you control have vigilance.
Each creature you control can block an additional creature.

Briber's Purse X
Artifact
Briber's Purse enters the battlefield with X gem counters on it.
1, T, Remove a gem counter from Briber's Purse: Target creature can't attack or block this turn.

Burn Away 4R
Instant
Burn Away deals 6 damage to target creature. When that creature dies this turn, exile all cards from its controller's graveyard. 

Cranial Archive 2
Artifact
2, Exile Cranial Archive: Target player shuffles his or her gravyeard into his or her library. Draw a card.

Dazzling Ramparts 1W
Creature - Wall
Defender
1W, T: Tap target creature.
0/7

Defiant Strike W
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.

Dig Through Time 6UU
Instant
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Look at the top seven cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.

Disowned Ancestor B
Creature - Spirit Warrior
Outlast 1B
0/4

Dutiful Return 3B
Sorcery
Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.

Erase W
Instant
Exile target enchantment.

Feat of Resistance 1W
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. It gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.

Firehoof Cavalry W
Creature - Human Berseker
3R: Firehoof Cavalry gets +2/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
1/1

Gurmag Swiftwing 1B
Creature - Bat
Flying, first strike, haste
1/2

Jeskai Student 1W
Creature - Human Monk
Prowess
1/3

Retribution of the Ancients B
Enchantment
B, Remove X +1/+1 counters from among creatures you control: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn.


*more coming*

Argh I’m so frustrated with the power level of this set, which I can only describe as “average!”

I expect every new card to be a Constructed staple. I expect every incoming set to completely invalidate current Standard. Do you expect me to have the patience to tolerate a card in standard for almost two years?!

That includes you, too, commons and uncommons! Don’t think you shouldn’t be Constructed-worthy just because of your lower rarity! If I see a new card designed for Limited, I will angrily condemn it as “Limited fodder.” How dare they support a format other than Constructed?!

Oh, and one more thing: I expect the cards not only to be powerful but to be obviously powerful! I have no tolerance for subtlety. You think I have enough time to test, experiment, or innovate?

The funny part about people saying it's "made for EDH" is that it's still bad in EDH.